The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary was ranked #6 in 2011's Top 25 Cigars by Cigar Aficionado. It has been hailed as Rocky Patel's best blend ever. This mouth watering, box pressed cigar is medium to full bodied, with a long finish and flavors of spice, cocoa, espresso bean and underlying sweetness. Made in the Tabacalera Villa Cuba factory in Esteli, Nicaragua with entubado rolling, triple cap and two binder leaves. The fillers and binders are Nicaraguan and the wrapper is a luscious Ecuador Habano leaf.

Cigar Origin

Nicaragua

Most cigars are manufactured in the Caribbean and Central America.Despite many decades of war and revolution in this Central American country, the cigar industry has thrived due to the hard work and tenacity of Cuban exiles to the land such as Plasencia, Padron, Oliva, Ortez, and others. Tobacco has been a force of social stability, and the country is now one of the principal exporters of premium cigars in the world.

Strength

Medium

Wrapper Color

Maduro

Cigar wrapper color varies from green (Double Claro or Candela) to black (Maduro or Oscuro) with a full range of browns in between.Maduro wrapper can go from dark coffee brown with a reddish tint to blackish brown (the latter also called Oscuro).

Wrapper

Ecuadorian Habano

The wrapper is the last tobacco leaf to be rolled on the cigar, so it is the one the smoker will see.Ecuadorian Habano wrapper has become one of the most used cigar wrappers in the market. Grown primarily by the Oliva family, this tobacco originated from Habano or H2000 seeds brought to Ecuador from Cuba. This leaf is rich and flavorful thanks to the temperate climate of Ecuador and the quality of its volcanic soil.

Binder

Nicaragua

The binder is a full tobacco leaf that is used to roll the cigar, binding the filler tobaccos together. Nicaraguan cigar binders are produced mainly in Esteli and Jalapa, both lands with volcanic soil and excellent climate for growing tobacco. Binders grown in Jalapa have sweet undertones. Corojo, Habana2000, Criollo, and Maduro binders are all produced in Nicaragua.

Filler

Nicaragua

Filler is the term used to describe the tobacco inside a cigar or the "guts" of the cigar.

It is hard to quantify a ‘sampler pack’ with a single review, so my above scores reflect what I feel is an average. This sampler pack came packaged beautifully, with a Boveda pack sealed inside. However, the Boveda pack was rock solid, meaning it had been dried out for quite some time. I think the protective tubes did their job quite effectively though, because the cigars were still in relatively good shape.
Overall, I would recommend these to a friend just for the sheer novelty aspect of them. Plus, cigars that come in their own tubing travel well, and what’s to stop someone from reusing those tubes?

Being one of the select few merchants who are allowed to carry TAA cigars, I naturally found myself circling around all the different options at my disposal. This Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary TAA stood out. It lies somewhere directly between medium and full body, yet retains a full flavor profile containing rich notes of cocoa and leather, with just a touch of spice towards the start. The box-pressed construction gives it a smooth, sophisticated look and feel, and the silver RP band will be a familiar one to most smokers out there. Burn was even, and not once did I need to re-light. All in all a very consistent, satisfying smoke for under 10 dollars. Check it out!

1/3 terrible uneven and flaky ash, not much flavor, spicy to the lips. 2/3-3/3 flavors coming in, burn balanced out and flavor came in with some complexity towards the end, enjoyed the RP Decades more.